What to upgrade to?

Hey, so, I have been using my trusty Pentium M for quite a while, but recently, it seems to be dying on me, after 4-5 years of service...


So, I've been looking around and been considering the Q9300 for my processor, but noted the Core i7.


So, I was wondering, what would the most logical path be?

Core i7 does seem expensive, but people keep telling me how it is the latest and greatest, and is good for upgrading.

However, the price is what is sorta making me hesitant.


So, I was wondering, if I should proceed with Core i7? Or just stick with a Q9300?

*watches the Pentium M continuing to die...

At this point, i7 is probably the way to go. LGA775 socket is more or less EOL now.

It isn't really a performance thing, its the fact that no new processor is coming out on the socket, so if you stick with a LGA775 system, I can't condone anything less than a E8600 or a Q9550 powering it.

The advantage of i7, is there is a decent (> 50%) possibility that intels next CPU will also be on the same socket, giving a better upgrade path for the future.